


Galar League Friends

by Gentlewriter58



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood Friends, Cute Kids, Gen, Overprotective friends, Shoes are overrated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27090283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gentlewriter58/pseuds/Gentlewriter58
Summary: Allister is a shy boy but his best friend makes everything better.
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the Pokemon franchise or the artwork. Credit goes to the original writer and artist. I only own my Ocs and story idea. I'm cross posting from Wattpad under the same username. I thought it would be nice to share my work with a wider audience. Posts will be sporadic since I have to work. Constructive criticism and comments or appreciated!

Glimwood Tangle was the most magical part of the Galar region. The people of Bellonlea and Stow-on-Side knew this well. Fairy type pokemon or as the residents of those towns called them, the fair ones could easily lead people astray in the forest. Offerings and taking care of the forest was a sure way to get the favor of the fair ones. If you were lucky you would be blessed by them and they would help you get through the forest safely and help you at your time of need. Sometimes you might catch a glimpse of a little girl playing with the fair ones in the forest. This story is about that little girl.

Bridget loved being from Bellonlea. The people and pokemon lived in harmony with nature. Her mum was a doctor who treated both people and pokemon. They lived in a house that was closest to Glimwood Tangle. The pokemon from there knew to come there if they were hurt. When her mum was pregnant with her, an injured rapidash came to her. For taking care of her, the rapidash gave her mum a blessing and in turn blessed the unborn Bridget.

Bridget could often be found playing in the forest with the fair ones and singing to them. When she wasn't there than she would be with her best mate Allister in Stow-on-Side.

Their mums had been friends since they were little girls so the two of them had been friends all their lives. Bridget was sitting in the waiting area of the stadium and watching Allister's match on the screen. She cheered when he won and glomp him as soon as he entered. "That was a brilliant match!"

"Thanks, I was worried that his bird pokemon would blow off my mask." 

All of Allister's pokemon came out of their balls to play with Bridget while he changed out of his uniform. He came back to see his mimikyu sitting in her lap and his Gengar braiding her long hair. The rest were chasing a ball she threw. His pokemon ran to him when they saw him. He gathered them all in his pokeballs after he gave them hugs.

"Can you come to the open-air market with me? We can go to the ruins afterward."

Allister carried his mimikyu and Bridget carried her alcremie to the market. Her alcremie, Coco, was technically the only pokemon she owned. It was given to her by her father who was a baker. Coco helped with the shopping since she knew which ingredients were the freshest. After Bridget bought some things and sold some mushrooms to a guy for a hefty sum the two kids walked to the ruins. 

"You are doing better with being in public. You usually try to get out of the market as quickly as possible."

"...Only because of you. The market isn't as bad when you are there." 

Allister enjoyed being with Bridget. Most people were scared of him or his ability to talk to ghosts but not Bridget. She would stare in awe as he conversed with spirits and sometimes ask Allister to ask questions to the spirits. 

The two kids laid down near the ruins and enjoyed the serene atmosphere. No spirits were nearby so the two watched the clouds go by. Allister took off his mask when they entered the ruins. Only his family and her family knew what he really looked like. He only took it off when he felt safe.

"The league challenge is starting up again. The opening ceremony is next week in Motostoke..."

"Do you want me to come again this year?" 

The shy boy nodded his head, "Kabu said you need to wear shoes this time though."

The girl huffed at that comment, "The glass didn't even cut me that bad."

Allister laughed at Bridget's reluctance of wearing shoes. She would walk around barefoot more often than Bea. Their hometowns were relatively small and clean so she could get away with no shoes but the bigger cities were no place to go barefoot. 

"Bea walks without shoes," she mumbled as they walked back towards the town. Since Allister didn't have any gym duties, he agreed to sleep over at Bridget's house to cheer her up about the shoes. They were passing by the stadium when they heard someone calling out to Allister.

"'Ello Bea. ...Did I forget something at the stadium."

"The chairman faxed over the schedule for the opening ceremony. I just wanted to make sure you got it."

Bea handed over the paperwork to Allister and ruffled his hair. She was protective of the young gym leader. They shared a stadium so neither of them got overwhelmed from their duties. Bea knew she had a habit of overdoing things and Allister could only be in the public eye for so long so the chairman had made them co-leaders. 

"We are getting a flying taxi along with Ms. Opal to Motostoke so make sure to wake up on time."

Allister nodded and promised to be ready on time. Bea noticed Bridget looked upset when she mentioned Motostoke. "What's wrong? You know that you have been invited to come to Motostoke with us."

"I was told to wear shoes," replied the young girl with a pout.

Bea nodded her head in understanding. She was a practitioner of Galarian Martial arts so she usually went barefoot too. "I have to wear shoes there too. I take them off at the stadium though."

Since even Bea wore shoes in the city, Bridget reluctantly agreed to find shoes to wear. This was after she tried to bribe Bea to piggyback ride her in Motostoke in exchange for treats. 

They said goodbye to Bea and went into Glimwood Tangle to get to Bridget's house. They pass by the giant tree that houses what Bridget calls the King of the Forest. She leaves some sweets by the tree and she gives thanks to the King for his protection. The two kids then continue on to Bridget's house. The smell of something baking greets them when they arrive. 

"Dinner is almost ready. Your mum should be home any minute," said Bridget's father. 

Allister took off his mask and helped set up the tables. The pokemon sat at their own little table in the house. Bridget's mum came in while they were setting up.

"Are you excited for the league challenge starting up again, Allister?"

"Yes... I'm also a little nervous ma'am."

Allister got his hair ruffled by the woman. Bridget happily talked about Allister's exhibition match and the fact she was invited to the opening ceremony. She was not happy when Allister told her parents about the shoe issue. 

"We might have to borrow some from a neighbor. I'm sure you outgrew your last pair," said her mother.

The children washed the dishes with the help of their pokemon. They were able to get it done without getting too wet. When Gengar decided to splash water at everyone, Allister's lampant was not amused. After they put some milk and honey outside, they got ready for bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Bridget woke up bright and early the next day. She planned on playing in the forest with Allister. Allister was far from a morning person so Bridget went to her kitchen to see what could be made for breakfast.

"Morning love, I was thinking of making pancakes. What do you think?"

"Morning papa, can we have chocolate chips in them?"

Her father nodded and Bridget cheered. She and Coco helped set the tables. Soon the delicious smell of pancakes permeated throughout the house. Allister and his pokemon sleepily walked into the dining room when they smelled food. 

"Look, papa, your food can wake the dead!"

Allister laughed. He knew he was a deep sleeper and didn't take offense to the comment.

"All right you two. Before you go out to play I need you to run me an errand," said her dad as he served the food.

Bridget nodded and started drowning her pancakes in syrup. "What kind of errand?"

"I need you two to deliver some food to the stadium."

After breakfast, Bridget was given four dozen cupcakes to deliver to the stadium. The children arrived at the stadium and were met by one of the cast members.

"Hi! I was told to deliver these cupcakes to Auntie Opal."

The cast member took them to the stage area and went to get the gym leader.

"Bridget, Allister, it's so good to see you," said the older woman.

"Hello, Autie Opal."  
"'Ello Ms. Opal."

Opal showed them where to put the cupcakes which were for a cast party.

"Now, Bridget dear have you thought about what I said about taking over the gym from me. "

"I appreciate your offer, Auntie, but I don't like battling. I want to be a healer like mum."

The older woman nodded her head in understanding. Bridget didn't like disappointing her great aunt but battling was too violent for her taste. She supported Allister in his battles and made sure his pokemon were healthy. She was told by her great aunt that she had the right aura to take over the gym and the fair folk already favored her.

"Since you are coming to Motostoke with us for the opening ceremony, I have something for you."

The old woman gave her a shoebox that had a pair of glittery sandals. Bridget tried them on and they fit perfectly. The soles were thick enough to protect her feet and since they were sandals they didn't feel as restricting as normal shoes. The little girl kissed her aunt and thanked her for the gift. 

Soon enough it was the day before the opening ceremony.

Bridget woke up early to make it to the taxi on time. She had set an alarm on Allister's phone to make sure he woke up on time too. She called him to check that he didn't sleep through it. He sounded sleepy but he said he was ready.

The little girl already told her forest friends that she would be away for a couple of days and gave them more treats to make up for it.

She asked the cabbie if she could give Coriviknight a berry when she got closer to the cab. 

The cabbie told her she could and gave the giant bird some oran berries. He happily ate the berries and let the young girl pet him.

She sat across from her Aunt Opal and stared out the window with her alcremie, Coco. She loved seeing everything from the air. They arrived at Stow-on-side quickly and she waved at Allister and Bea as they entered the cab. Allister sat next to Bridget and stared at the sights with her. His mimikyu happily chatting with Coco as they enjoyed the view.

When they got out at Motostoke, Bridget gave the Coriviknight another berry and thank him and the cabbie. 

Opal, being the senior member of the group, ushered everyone along to the Budew hotel. Most of the participants would be checking in later that day so it was relatively quiet in the lobby. 

The group was escorted to a private meeting room for the gym leaders, champion, chairman, and their guests. 

Bridget sat by Allister since he was too shy to go up to everyone to say hello. The good thing about the gym leaders in Galar is that they act as a giant family so they knew that Allister was very shy. All the major league gym leaders were there except for Piers who specialized in dark types. 

Melody, the ice leader, was the group mother (literally for Gordie's case) so she came over first to check on Allister. 

"It's good to see you, Allister. I see you brought your friend, Bridget, again this year. Have you two eaten yet?" She didn't wait for their answers and passed them a snack tray. She told them that they could come by her room later to play with her children if they wanted.

Kabu, the fire user, came by next. He politely greeted them and looked over the two young children. "I'm glad you two are doing well and that you are both wearing shoes."

"Auntie Opal gave me these Mr. Kabu. I still think I don't need them since now I know that glass can be on the street."

"Please continue to wear them while here for my peace of mind at least."

Bridget told Mr. Kabu not to worry about her walking barefoot outside of the hotel. He smiled and went to talk to the other adults. After they were said hi to all the other gym leaders, Leon finally appeared.  
Bridget was 95% certain that the Champion got lost again. 

Mr. Rose started the meeting going over the logistics of the opening ceremony again. Bridget didn't really pay attention since she wasn't a part of the ceremony and only here for moral support. She shared some snacks with Coco and doodled on a napkin to pass the time. She must have fallen asleep at one point because Allister tapped on her shoulder to let her know that the meeting was over.

Most of the gym leaders had already left except for Bea who was waiting for them. Mr. Rose and Leon were still in the room chatting. Leon waved goodbye and left the room

Bridget went up to the chairman to thank him for letting her come. "I am so happy that you let me come to the ceremony, Mr. Rose.

The chairman smiled down at her. "Think nothing of it. You are the unofficial official cheerleader of the gym leaders. In fact, I have a surprise for you tomorrow after the ceremony."

Bridget hopped up and down in excitement and hug the chairman. Mr. Rose laughed and patted her head. She left the room with her two friends and noticed Leon with a confused look on his face.

"Leon, said Bridget, "do you need help finding your room?"

The champion looked sheepish. "I may have forgotten where it is."

The trio escorted the champion to his room and then went to their rooms. Bea was right next to Allister and Bridget's room. 

The duo's room had a queen size bed and their things were already there. Bridget jumped on the bed and started bouncing on it. Allister joined her in the bed to bounce. They both laughed and stopped bouncing when they got tired. Since he became a gym leader, Allister had been acting more mature so he could be taken seriously. Bridget made sure he still did fun things like jumping on a bed because growing up could wait.


	3. Chapter 3

Bridget heard of a cafe that gave free dessert if you won a battle and she wanted to see if that was real. She had a sweet tooth along with the rest of her friends.

Allister and Bridget knocked on Bea's room to see if she would go with them.

"We can't go to the battle cafe. My fans have never let it down that I like sweets."

"...Disguises... we could wear em" suggested Allister.

"That idea is so ace. Bea can carry Coco with her to help with the disguise. No one would suspect a fighting master to have a fair one with them."

With that said the trio decided to get ready to go to the cafe.

Bea was wearing a long pink wig, courtesy of Bridget, and a pink top with jeans. Allister had a green hoodie and tinted glasses on. Bridget gave him a green wig just in case. Although she didn't need to dress up, Bridget disguised herself too. She wore a shoulder-length pink wig and an outfit similar to Bea. People would assume that the girls were sisters. 

They were discussing how they would go about doing the battling as they left their rooms.

"If I'm holding Coco and Allister is holding my pancham, are we going to battle with them? Does Coco even know how to battle?" questioned Bea. 

Bridget nodded and showed Bea the moves Coco knew. Her alcremie mainly had support moves but she did know Play Rough. 

The trio ran into Opal on the way out and since she was the one who gave Bridget the disguises, she recognized them. "I knew pink would look nice on you girls. Have fun and enjoy the cafe." 

Bridget didn't like this city too much. It felt suffocating with the smokestacks and all the machinery. The streets were usually clean but the tourist tended to bring trash with them. Bridget had stepped on glass last year which worried everyone. The trio went down the weird elevator to get to the cafe. So far no one stopped them so their disguises were working.

The walked into the cafe and stopped to smell the delicious aroma wafting in the air. Bea walked up to the owner and asked for a double battle for free desserts. They walked to the little arena in the back of the store. 

Coco and the pancham were selected to battle. Despite not being the types that they specialized in the two disguised gym leaders were not nervous. The owner threw out his milcery and swirlix to battle. Allister sighed since pancham was weak against the fairies. 

"Coco use decorate," yelled Bea. Coco produced cream in her little stubby hands and drew symbols on the panda. The pancham looked like he had war paint on. The cream boosted his stats for the battle. With the boost, he was able to avoid the attack from the swirlix. 

"Pancham use circle throw on swirlix," said Allister. The little panda grabbed the pink pokemon and threw it across the arena. It was not very effective but it still did some damage. Coco used sweet kiss to confuse the milcery. The poor little Pokemon hurt itself in its confusion. Pancham proceeded to use another circle throw on the milcery. The little cream Pokemon fainted from the damage.

The swirlix attacked the pancham and Coco with swift and little star-shaped projectiles pelted them. "Coco use play rough." The attack KO the cottony Pokemon and Bridget cheered with Mimikyu.

After the battle, the owner gave heart-shaped candies for the pokemon to the disguised leaders. Allister split his free ice cream with Bridget and Bea got a slice of yummy looking cake. Their pokemon weren't too hurt from the battle so they were resting in their pokeballs except for Coco who didn't have a ball. After they were finished eating they ordered some snacks for their other pokemon and headed back to the hotel.

Back in the hotel room, the trio released their pokemon so they could eat. Gengar tried to hoard the snacks but was yelled at by Coco. The little cream pokemon was very serious about food.

While they ate, Bridget put pancham on her lap and she started glowing. Soon the little scrapes that the little bear had vanished without a trace. She did the same with Coco. Her friends didn't even care that she was just glowing. It was something that she was able to do since they have known her. Afterall she routinely healed them and their pokemon, especially after battles.

After the pokemon finished eating, Allister took out a toy and threw it towards them. Several pokemon went after it and started hitting it towards each other. They had their pokemon a long time so they didn't fight with each other for the toy. It was always entertaining watching Bea's machamp play with the small bouncy ball. Before they knew it, dinnertime had arrived.

Chairman Rose had reserved the same room that they had their meeting in so they could eat in peace. Dinner was an informal buffet. No one questioned why a Gengar was gathering food and phasing into a table in the corner. Nor did they questioned the mimikyu that would randomly take sweets and run to the same table. It was perfectly normal during get-togethers. Allister and Bridget were enjoying themselves under the corner table. Raihan lent them his rotomphone do they could watch videos. Melody's younger children were under there with them.

Rotom loved the attention and asked for a group selfie. The kids huddled together with Bridget hugging Allister. The chairman called the children from under the table so that they could do a toast for the upcoming challenges. Everyone raised their cups and cheered.

"Bridget, remember how I told you that I would have a surprise for you? Well I decided to give it to you early," said Chairman Rose.

Bridget nodded and skipped over to the chairman. His assistant, Oleana, came over with an incubator that had a pokemon egg in it. "Really for me?! What kind of Pokemon is in the egg," she asked as she bounced up and down in excitement.

"That's part of the surprise," he replied. She hugged the chairman and Oleana in thanks. She carefully held the incubator and went to show Allister and Coco.

"What kind of pokemon did you give her? asked Leon. "I have no idea. Opal gave it to me for her. She apparently has another for her successor." The two men watched as Bridget happily showed off her egg. A big adventure awaited everyone because tomorrow was the opening ceremony.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for panic attacks. I am not an expert on panic attacks and based it off my experience with them. I apologize if I offend anyone.

Allister woke up to the sound of his alarm. He surprisingly beat his best friend today. She was sleeping next to him with Coco snuggled on her chest. The incubator was on the nightstand next to her. Today was the opening ceremony and Allister was getting anxious just thinking about it. He loved battling but hated having so many people watching him. So many people watching and judging him... His stomach felt like it was twisted in a knot and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Not again he thought to himself. 

"Brig-" he gasped. Bridget woke with a start and ran over to Allister. "Take deep breaths. Do you need your mask?" The little boy shook his head. Coco jumped from Bridget's shoulder and tapped on the pokeballs containing Mimikyu and Gengar. The pokemon came out and comforted their little trainer.

"Focus on me. Inhale, hold it and now exhale. Good. Do it again."

Allister did as he was told and focused on his best mate. He focused on her big green eyes that shone with concern, her knee-length black hair with purple and blue bangs that hugged her face, and her sweet smile that always made him feel better.

They held hands for the breathing exercises and when his breathing was under control, he hugged her. "It's okay Allie, I'm here." She said as she hugged him back while his pokemon rubbed his back. They stayed like that for a while. "I'm sorry," whispered Allister. "You have nothing to be sorry about," she replied as she checked the time.

"Crumbs! We only have ten minutes until the start of the ceremony!"

She rummaged through their bags and threw a black hoodie, a shirt that said Boo, and some shorts to Allister. She quickly slipped into her shoes since her nightgown could count as a dress. The Gengar put a dress some shorts and Allister's uniform in a duffle and handed it to his trainer. Mimikyu grabbed the incubator and jumped into Allister's arms while Coco jumped into Bridget's arms.

"Coco, AJ, hold on tight because we are roof hopping to get to the stadium," the Alcremie and Mimikyu nodded and held on tight, "Cheshire, you know what to do!" The Gengar opened the window and the children jumped out and landed on the roof of the building next door. 

They ran across the roof and jumped to the next one. Cheshire was following to make sure everyone was safe. It was easy for the children to run and jump on the buildings because they ran and climbed in the forest and ruins near their homes.

When they got near the stadium, Chesire used his ghostly powers to lower the kids to the ground. They weaved through the crowd and went through the employee's entrance. They ran until they made it into the locker room and collapsed on the bench. 

Coco passed Allister his mask while Bridget threw his uniform to him. They worked quickly together and both of them were dressed just in time for Bea and Melody to check on them.

"There you two are. I feared the worst when you weren't here earlier, said Melody, she looked over them and asked, "Did you two eat?"

They shook they heads and Melody did the mom tsked and promised to stuff them later.

Bea handed them protein bar after Melody left. "Are you two okay? It's not like you to cut it so close," questioned Bea.

Allister held AJ to his chest, "Its my fault... had an attack."

Bea was one of the few people who knew about Allister's panic attacks so she knew how bad they could get. She felt guilty for not checking up on him earlier. She hugged him and was about to say something when a worker told them they would be doing to introductions soon. They went to the area were all the leaders were at the request of the worker. 

AJ jumped to Bridget's left shoulder while Coco was on her right she held her incubator in her arms.

"Allie, Cheshire is going to hide in your shadow in case you get nervous. Now go be spooky," whispered Bridget 

He nodded and hunched over. His arms were swaying and he looked possessed. "That's perfect! Break a leg everyone," she yelled when they started to leave for their introductions. She ran into the next room over where friends and family could watch everything on a giant screen.

Bridget cheered when the gym leaders were introduced. The staff at the different stadiums knew the girl and would tell her the latest gossip or give her little things. The Ball Guy in particular always gave her the latest league cards since she was an avid collector. "I got the new challenger cards for you." 

Bridget squealed in delight and hugged him. She heard that Chairman Rose had personally sponsored a challenger and that Leon had sponsored two challengers this year. She needed to get her new cards signed when the ceremony was over. Some of the leaders did exhibition matches during the ceremony but Allister wasn't a part of that so he came back to the room Bridget was in. 

"Your entrance was ace, Allister," said the girl happily as she handed AJ back to him. The mimikyu snuggled against his trainer's chest. 

"Thanks... I'm going to take a quick kip in here until they need me again."

The Ball Guy provided blankets and a pillow without warning. Where he got them from and how he knew Allister needed them they both had no idea. 

Bridget asked Coco to watch over Allister while she went to get autographs. The alcremie and the boy's mimikyu stood guard near him. Cheshire came out of his trainer's shadow and followed her. If Allister needed anything the gengar was the fastest way to contact him.

The young girl made her way to the various challengers to get their autographs. Most of them were very sweet and had no issues signing their cards for her. She saw a boy with poofy white hair and went up to him for his autograph. According to the card, the boy was the challenger that was endorsed by Chairman Rose. 

"Are you Bede? The challenger that Chairman Rose sponsored," questioned the girl.

"Of course I am. What do you want?"

"May I have your autograph? I got your league card here."

"You can have it for 600 pokemon dollars"

"I don't have that much on me right now. "

"I guess you are not worthy of having the future champion's autograph."

She stared at him incredulously by his statement. Who did this boy think he was charging for his autograph? He wasn't even famous. Not even Leon who is arguably the most famous person in Galar charged people for his autograph. Bridget huffed and went to find other challengers to get autographs from. Cheshire came out of Bridget's shadow and scared the psychic type user for being rude to the girl.

"I hope karma bites him in the butt," muttered the girl to the gengar. "Gen gar gar," said Cheshire.

She laughed at his statement, "Cheshire, please don't bite anyone in the butt. I appreciate the offer though."

She got an autograph from Marnie and thought her pokemon was so cute. She remembered seeing some crazy fans that supported her. Bridget was glad that Marnie was normal and not crazy like her fanbase. 

She found the challengers that Leon endorsed and realized that one was Leon's brother. 

"You two are the challengers that Leon sponsored! You have to be Hop, his little brother. He shows pictures of you to the gym leaders." 

Hop blushed from the statement and gave the girl his autograph. The girl next to him also gave her autograph. 

"Gloria, that's a pretty name. I can't wait to see the both of you battle. Leon is rubbish at directions but he can spot talent."

The two trainers beamed at the praise. She wished them luck and went to find more challengers. Bridget finished her autograph session soon after and went to wake up Allister.

The boy was still sound asleep when she found him. "Wake up, sleepy head, Miss Melody promised to make us food." She started poking him but he still wouldn't get up. 

"Bea, he's dead to the world again," she called out to the fighting gym leader.

Bridget helped arrange Allister on Bea's back. This was something they did more than any of them would care to admit. The ghost leader was like a noctowl, rarely awake during the day. This, among other reasons, was why the boy was homeschooled.

The trio arrived back at the hotel and went to Melody's suite. The woman could have ordered room service but she rather cook something herself for her children. The mother chuckled when she saw Allister sleeping on Bea. Bea placed him on the couch and Bridget watched cartoons with Melody's children. Gordie chatted with Bea about rock climbing and training.

Food was the fastest way to wake up a sleepy ghost leader. He woke up as soon as Melody set the food on the table. They all thanked her and ate the yummy cooking. Allister was grateful that his mask had a big enough hole for his mouth because it was easier to eat that way. He trusted Melody and her children but his anxiety prevented him from taking his mask off in front of them. No one took offense to the fact that he kept his mask on.

Everyone thanked Melody for the meal and the trio went to pack up their belongings. The challenge officially started tomorrow and although no one would challenge the gym on Stow-on-Side for a while since they would have to beat three leaders in order to get them. They decided to leave early since Bea promised to take the younger two camping in the wild area. It was a good place to train and meet pokemon that are not seen elsewhere in the region. They would walk from Motostoke to Hammerlocke using the wild area. From Hammerlocke they would use a taxi to get back home.

It would be a great way to get exercise and training. They might even catch new pokemon for their teams. It would be a fun outing for the friends.


	5. Chapter 5

The wild area in Galar was the perfect place to go camping. Normally, young children weren't allowed there without an adult but since there were two gym leaders in the group it didn't matter.

Bea had gotten a giant tent for the three of them to share and was relieved when Allister didn't complain about not going to the creepy rundown tower. She was not setting up camp in a haunted area no matter how much she loved the little boy.

Bridget was twirling around with her egg safely in her backpack. As soon as they left the city, she kicked off the shoes and put them in her bag. She and Allister were talking about the ceremony and what they thought about this year's challengers.

"Come on you two. I want to set up camp before it gets too dark," said Bea.

Considering the time they left Motostoke, Bea wasn't going to make them walk too far. She wanted to get to the other side of the river and make camp there.

"Ooh, berry trees! Can I ask the pokemon in the trees for some berries for our curry?" asked Bridget.

Bea gave her the go ahead and Bridget skipped over to the trees. She called up into the trees, "May I please have some berries for my meal?"

A skovet came down and started to talk to her, "Sko vet vet"

"Thank you for sharing!"

The skovet scurried up the tree and it started to rustle.

Bea asked Bridget what the pokemon said.

"He said that he will pick some of the spicy berries for us since he is not fond of them."

The tiny pokemon came back down with a tail full of berries for them.

"Sko sko vet"

"Thank you and you are welcome," replied Bridget, "He was thanking us for not shaking the tree. He doesn't like falling off it."

The trio thanked the pokemon and got ready to make the curry. It was a challenge feeding the two younger children. Bridget refused to eat meat of any kind and Allister, like many children his age, didn't like leafy greens. Bea settled on beans for the main ingredient since that was good for growing kids and they both liked them. Bridget started humming a song about beans but didn't sing it out loud since Bea was not a fan of it.

Bea made enough curry to feed an army. Allister helped her put the leftovers away while Bridget cleaned the dishes. They kept the campfire on since it started to get very foggy. 

The yummy smells attracted a little shadow towards the camp. The tiny pokemon went towards Bridget's backpack that contained the berries. The pokemon didn't realize that the pack was heavier than it looked and got caught by Coco.

The pokemon tried to act innocent and cute when everyone came over when they heard the noise.

"I know it's in your nature, but it is not nice to steal little purrloin," chided Bridget. The purrloin looked around and knew she was surrounded. She dropped the innocent act swished her tail nervously. Bridget slowly walked over to the kitten, "It's okay, no one is going to hurt you," she slowly held her fist to the kitten and let her sniff it. The little girl asked her friends for a little bit of curry. Allister put some in a smaller plate and slowly walked over.

"Instead of stealing my berries, you can have some curry. You are awfully skinny."

The cat hesitated at first but the other pokemon encouraged her to eat. She took a bite and licked her lips. She gobbled up the food and purred in contentment.

Bridget was able to pet the kitten and felt its ribs, "The food was scrummy wasn't it. Curry is always scrummy," she said as the purrloin licked her paws clean.

The kitten meowed in agreement. She headbutted Bridget's hand and started purring. The group decided to let the tiny pokemon stay in their camp for the night. The pokemon decided to take shifts sleeping to watch the stuff just in case.

The reason that the children's parents trusted Bea with them was because they knew she would take care of them. "Allister, you are not allowed to stay up all night. You can stargaze if you cannot sleep but you cannot look for ghosts," she said.

"...okay..." said Allister reluctantly.

Bridget patted his shoulder in solidarity. 

"Bridget, I know you are full of beans but that doesn't mean you can stay up all night either or yell it's the witching hour at 3 in the morning."

Bridget pouted and mumbled, "I do something once and no one let's me forget it."

Bea ruffled the children's hair and went to the tent to change. Bridget whispered to her best mate, "Everyone says I'm full of beans like it's a bad thing. I don't know how though because beans are scrummy and it's not like I eat them everyday."

Allister tilted his head in thought, "Well we all ate beans for dinner so I guess we are all full of beans. People say weird things."

Bridget nodded her head and agreed with her mate that people were indeed weird.

Bea was the first one to go to sleep. Her pokemon would wake her if the children got up to trouble. Allister was stargazing with Bridget. She made up constellations and stories for them. Allister was imagining the stories and didn't realize that Bridget had stopped talking. He looked over and saw her sleeping. He had asked Cheshire to put her in the tent and got ready for bed himself. Bea was sure to wake them up early so he should sleep while he could. Tomorrow was a new day.


	6. Chapter6

Allister awoke with hair in his mouth. Bridget was trying to be quiet as she was crawling around in the tent but her long hair had other ideas. He tugged on a piece to get her attention. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"...Hair in my face," he said groggily.

"My hair ties are missing. How am I supposed to braid my hair without them?"

Allister looked over his friend. Her knee length hair was messy since she was an active sleeper to say the least. He called Cheshire to see if he saw any hair ties. The gengar phased through the tent and laughed. He flipped the flap and the kids saw the purrloin playing with her hair ties. Corsola squirted water at the kitten to distract it from the hair ties.

Bridget chided the kitten and grabbed her hair ties. The corsola sprinkled water over them to clean them up for her. Allister grabbed a hairbrush and helped brush her hair. It was something he did often with Bridget because it was soothing for him. Bea was doing her morning training regimen nearby and had set up some snacks for the kids to munch on. He braided her hair and put on the hair ties for her. 

Bridget hugged him and grabbed the snacks for them. They ate the snacks with their pokemon and then changed out of their pajamas. The little girl checked her egg to see if it was any closer to hatching but it was sadly not. She began to hum while she went through her pack to find her feather toy. She had a feeling that the purrloin would like it and wanted to test out her theory.

Allister watched his best mate as she hummed and went through her things. She was always so lively and happiness seemed to seep out of her. She found a feather toy and proceeded to play with the pokemon closest to her. He was happy to have a friend like her. Bridget never tried to push him out of his comfort zone and would help him with things that were difficult for him. His school bullies were also afraid of her. His best mate may not have formal martial arts training but that didn't stop her from fighting. He felt bad that she would get in trouble for defending him and told her she didn't have to but she would laugh and say that's what mates were for.

He remembers when Bridget first got in trouble for fighting. At the time, she went to a school back in Ballonlea. Allister was in his first year of school and was already getting bullied for being different. He didn't tell anyone about it because he felt ashamed that he was bullied. His mum had enough time deal with being a young widow. The bullies were few grades ahead of him and they would chase him and when they caught him would beat him up. That day, Bridget had gotten out if her school early due to an impadimp causing mischief. She had decided to do a surprise visit to see him. He didn't know when she got there but as soon as the bullies started messing with him, she tackled the biggest boy. 

"You leave him alone!" She started punching, kicking, and biting the boy. The other two boys were frozen in shock that a little girl in a frilly pink dress was fighting their leader. The boy threw off Bridget and he spat out blood from the cut on his lip.

"You don't even go to our school why are you defending that freak," snarled the boy.

His friends decided to put their two cents in about what just occurred. 

"You got hit by a girl."  
"She bit you too. That means you got cooties now."

The boy yelled at his friends to shut their gobs about what just happened. Bridget wasn't paying attention to them since she was checking on Allister to make sure he wasn't hurt.

"Did they give you any boo boos?" He was planning on lying but he didn't want his best mate to be angry with him. He slowly nodded his head. 

Bridget patted his head and said, "I will fix your boo boos when we get to your house." She was all smiles with Allister and the boy could see why some called her faelike. Those people didn't know how right they were. The pink clad girl turned back to the bullies and her smile took a darker tone. 

"If I ever see you bothering Allister again, you will regret it. I will make sure all my friends in the Tangle wreak havoc in your lives," she started glowing and her hair was floating from the energy. 

The boys screamed, "He summoned a glamoured Hattetrene from the forest!!"

"Forest witch!!"  
"Run for your lives!!"

The boys ran away in a panic and Bridget sighed. She stopped glowing and dusted off her dress. Allister was offered a hand and he gladly took it. He still wasn't sure how word got out that his mate got in a fight but it did and she got in trouble at her school for it. It stop her from doing it and she eventually transferred to his school.

He felt something poking him and he got startled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You spaced out and Bea wants to pack up."

He nodded and recalled his pokemon except for his mimikyu. His pokemon liked to sleep during the day but his mimikyu rather be held when they were traveling. 

He noticed that the purrloin had gotten attached to Bridget and was trotting next to her. 

"Do you plan on keeping the purrloin? Having multiple pokemon can be difficult when you aren't a trainer," said Bea as they were walking.

Bridget nodded and told them that she a had a long conversation with the pokemon and it seemed that the purrloin had been bullied by the local meowths and was forced to give most of her food to them. They had been the first group of humans to be nice to her and she would like to stay with them.

"...You don't have pokeballs," he said.

"I guess I will just carry her around when she gets tired. I do it with Coco." 

Allister got an image of Bridget carrying a half a dozen pokemon on her and smiled at the thought. He went through his bag to see what kind of pokeball he could give his mate. He mainly had dusk balls since he usually caught his pokemon at night. He found a premiere ball he got when purchasing items and gave it to her.

Bridget thanked her best mate and promised to pay him back. He waved her off and she showed the ball to the purrloin. 

The kitten meowed and touched the ball with her nose. The pokemon went into the ball and Bridget let her back out. 

"Welcome to the family. I think Saffron would be a good name for you since you were never given one," said Bridget.

Allister assumed that the kitten agreed since she started purring. They made good timing in the wild area and avoided the dusty bowl area since the sandstorm would slow down the children. When they neared the giant's mirror area, the group was surrounded by a bunch of corsola. 

Bea refused to be scared but it was not comforting to be surrounded by corsola that sounded like they were ominously chanting. The only reasons she wasn't completely freaked was because of her training and the fact that the Allister and Bridget didn't seem concerned.

The corsola used their ghostly powers to float some objects towards the group. They were shells that they presented to Allister.

"It must be shedding season. Now you have more masks for your collection," said Bridget happily. She helped him gather the shells and carefully wrapped them up. 

The corsola cheered that their offerings were accepted. The children thanked them and continued on their way.

It was nighttime when they reached Hammerlocke. Bea had contacted Raihan when they had gotten closer to the city. He was waiting by the pokecenter when they got there. The gym leaders usually let each other stay at their houses when they were visiting. While the leaders were very competitive, they were also very close to each other regardless of if you part of the major or minor league. 

"Look Raihan look! I made a new friend in the wild area," exclaimed Bridget when she saw the dragon leader. She held up Saffron so he could see the purrloin. Raihan knelt down so he could get a better look since he was much taller than Bridget.

"This is a selfie worthy moment. Making friends always is," he took a selfie with Bridget and her pokemon. 

"You better not post that picture. We don't want your crazy fangirls doing anything to her," said Bea.

Raihan put his hands up in surrender and assured the fighting leader that he would never post a picture without permission. 

"Make yourselves at home. Just don't let your alcremie bully my pokemon."

"Creme creme," said Coco indignantly. She did not like being called a bully.

Since he didn't have the best cooking skills and his guests included two picky children, Raihan decided to order in food.

Raihan and Bea discussed grown up things while Allister and Bridget ate their food while watching cartoons. Raihan promised to show Bridget what kind of food would be good for her new pokemon since she had different eating habits than Coco. Just because Bridget refused to eat meat doesn't mean she would force her pokemon to adopt her diet. He also told her he would pay for an everstone collar for Saffron in exchange for free pastries next time he was in her town.

Since their trip had been long and exhausting, the children fell asleep while the older leaders were talking. Bea motioned to Raihan that the children were asleep. They each grabbed one and put them in the guest bedroom. Bea wished them goodnight. They all would be home tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

Shopping with Raihan was an adventure. He was very tall so they never had to worry about losing him. The selfie fiend had no issue with random fans asking for photos and hugs so that slowed them down a bit. Allister was disguised again because he didn't want anyone to recognize him while he was shopping with his friends.

Raihan bought an everstone collar and a giant book about feline pokemon for Bridget. He also got Allister a book of ghost stories that he didn't own yet and Bea a novel that she was eyeing.

"Raihan, it's one thing treating the kids but you don't have to pay for anything for me," said Bea when Raihan took them to a candy store.   
The younger kids were going through the store and filling their baskets full of candy. 

"You're still a kid too. Besides I would do anything for this family."

Bea huffed at being called a kid but decided not to say anything. The younger kids came back with baskets full of candy. They were holding hands since more people had come into the store and Allister got nervous. Bea sighed when she saw all the candy.

"Put that all back. You can have one thing each," said Bea.

"Crumbs," said the two kids in unison.

Raihan laughed and grabbed both baskets. He proceeded to walk to the checkout area.

"Raihan!"

Raihan came back after paying for the candy to a glaring Bea, a bouncing Bridget, and a fidgeting Allister.

"Alright, choose one thing now and the rest will be at my house for you the next time you visit," said Raihan.

Bridget grabbed her giant dark chocolate bar while Allister grabbed his berry chews and a bag of chocolate. Bea was about to reprimand him but he handed the chocolate to Bea mumbling about how it was her favorite brand. Bea thanked him for thinking of her.

They went back to Raihan's house to grab their things and the dragon user hailed a taxi for them to get home. Once they were safely back at Stow-on-Side, Bea walked them to Allister's house. 

"Thanks, Bea. We had a lot of fun," said Bridget with Allister nodding along with her statement.

The duo went inside Allister's house to greet his mum. "Mum, I'm home. Bridget is with me."

"I'm in my workshop, love."  
The two kids went into the workshop to see Allister's mum working with clay. She was making detailed figures of Allister's and Bea's pokemon.

"Those look ace, mum!"  
"I'm glad you like em. The league gave me the commission to make Stow-on-Side statues," she showed them some of her completed works that included Allister and Bea in their battle poses.

"The tourists will love those. They look so lifelike," exclaimed Bridget. 

Allister's mom moved the pieces she just finished into the kiln.

"Lizzie, would you be dear and light the kiln for me."

A salazzle got up from her resting place and blew fire to start up the kiln. She beamed with pride when she got complimented for doing such a good job.

"Let me get cleaned up and we can make lunch together. "

They made egg salad sandwiches while they talked about the new challengers this season and how much fun they had camping with Bea.

"I know you are planning to go see your father tonight, Allister. Make sure you take a kip so you can be well rested."

"I will, mum."

Both of the kids started to read the books they got and then took a quick kip when they got tired. 

Dinner was spaghetti which they ate quickly so they could go to their destination. They received flowers from Allister's mum for his father. She told them to be safe and make sure their pokemon stayed near them.

The great thing about living in a relatively small town was the fact the stars were easily seen. The graveyard was quiet but that changed as soon as Allister stepped inside. Ghost pokemon came out to greet the little boy. 

Bridget giggled when the excited pokemon came out, "Your friends missed you. Let's go everyone, we have flowers to deliver."

The Pokemon cheered and followed the kids to a particular grave. It was one that Allister frequently visited. It was big enough for him to sit on and he often refreshed the flowers. He vaguely remembered his father. He died in the accident that gave Allister his ability to talk to ghosts when he was four.

Bridget sang a song about the stars. The spirits liked when she accompanied Allister. She never figured out why people were afraid of ghost pokemon. They were pranksters like the fair folk near her home. She sang and danced for the spirits as Allister clapped along.

Bridget stopped singing when she heard footsteps approaching. She motioned to Allister to hide while she picked up a branch.

As soon as she heard the intruders screaming from the ghost protecting Allister, she jumped from her hiding spot brandishing her branch.

"Ahh, don't hurt us." 

"We just wanted to see Allister."

The two boys held their hands up in surrender.

"I'm not going to let some craze fans bother Allister," she replied. Her hair was floating up and an angry aura surrounded her body.

Allister peaked out from his hiding place and recognized one of the boys.

"...It's.. It's okay I know them. That's Tommy, the boy I told you about."

Bridget dropped the branch and apologized for scaring the boys.

"I was told so much about you. My name is Bridget and Allister is my best mate."

Johnny told everyone that he was gifted tickets to Leon's championship match and that he would get to meet him that day and get an autograph.

"Leon is ace. He knows so much about Pokemon and he super down to earth. Sometimes he lets me ride on Charizard," gabbed Bridget happily.

Tommy and Johnny couldn't believe this was the same girl who was about to beat them up with a tree branch.

Allister quietly asked if they would like to stay to hear Bridget sing. Both boys nodded and that's how the four of them spent the night in the graveyard.


End file.
